Jobs under threat at Shropshire's Muller Dairy
More than 40 jobs are under threat at Shropshire's huge Muller Dairy, it was revealed today.
German company Muller-Wiseman, which runs the site at Market Drayton, said it had entered into a 30-day period of consultation with staff as it sought to make "operational efficiencies".
A spokesman for the company said up to 43 jobs could be axed.
"The business will work closely with employees who are affected by these proposals during the consultation period to ensure that their views are taken into account, and that wherever possible the impact of the proposed changes can be minimised," the spokesman added.
"After the 30-day consultation period ends, the business will work to complete its strategic review before arriving at any decisions."
It is not known which departments of the dairy are affected.
Roger Emery, operations director at Muller Dairy, said: "We must continually adapt to changes in the requirements being made of us. We operate in a very competitive environment and it is important that our structure reflects the current and future needs of the business. It is right that we take time to undertake a review which takes into account the views of our employees."
One member of staff said morale at the factory was at an "all-time low" in the wake of the announcement.
He said the company was making a good profit yet choosing to axe workers.
Muller-Wiseman describes itself as "the UK's leading yoghurt manufacturer, with major brands such as Muller Corner, Mullerlight and Muller Rice".
Councillor Roy Aldcroft, mayor of Market Drayton, said it was a "sad" day for the town. "We have always viewed the food industry as being fairly strong in this area – and to find out that Muller is making redundancies is sad, to say the least.
"I'm quite sure that they don't do these things lightly and I'm hopeful there won't be any more."
